Perfect road trip paved Pens' way to Cup finals

PITTSBURGH -- If not for a perfect five-game road trip in the dog days of the regular season, the Pittsburgh Penguins probably wouldn't be gearing up for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.

They might not even have made the playoffs.

The trip started Feb. 27, 11 days after Dan Bylsma replaced fired coach Michel Therrien, and it bridged the trade deadline when Pittsburgh acquired veteran forwards Bill Guerin and Craig Adams. An overtime victory over Chicago kicked it off, and a shootout win against Washington wrapped it up.

The days of sitting below the playoff cutoff line in the Eastern Conference were over, and the Penguins finally could start thinking about repeating as Eastern Conference champions.

No matter what happens Friday in Detroit when the puck drops for Game 7, the Penguins can say they have gotten further than last year. In 2008, the season ended one game earlier against the Red Wings, who took Game 6 in Pittsburgh.

Not that the Penguins would feel any better to see the Red Wings celebrate again at home, but Pittsburgh at least knows it has a shot to win the Cup with one win in a place that hasn't produced many happy moments for them.